Former Chelsea forward Schuerrle joins Fulham on loan

FILE - In this Friday, Feb. 2, 2018 file photo, Dortmund's Andre Schuerrle celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during their German Bundesliga soccer match against 1. FC Cologne in Cologne, Germany. Germany forward Andre Schuerrle, who had a spell with Chelsea earlier in his career, joined west London neighbor Fulham from Borussia Dortmund on a two-year loan on Wednesday, July 25, 2018. "I'm so happy to be here, I can't wait to get started," the 2014 World Cup winner said. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, file)

Sports Desk:

Germany forward Andre Schuerrle, who had a spell with Chelsea earlier in his career, joined west London neighbor Fulham from Borussia Dortmund on a two-year loan on Wednesday.

“I’m so happy to be here, I can’t wait to get started,” the 2014 World Cup winner said. “Fulham were the first club that showed interest in me, that was something I appreciated a lot, and one of the reasons I wanted to come here.

“I love ball possession, I love attacking, and I love making runs, so I think it could be perfect,” Schuerrle, 27, said of his move to the newly-promoted English Premier League team.

Schuerrle impressed with Mainz and Bayer Leverkusen before he joined Chelsea for a reported 18 million pounds ($23 million) in 2013.

He scored a hat-trick at Fulham in a 3-1 win and played enough games to earn a Premier League winner’s medal in 2014-15, even though he left for Wolfsburg before the season ended.